Repair and Rebuild
by Phantom of Les Mis
Summary: Can Éponine repair Enjolras' broken heart? When Éponine was taken away from Manhattan, she left her life behind; her life of school, Les Amis and her childhood friend, Enjolras. Now she is back and she wants to restore the Enjolras that she loved so much. Ships: É/E and C/M
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: I'm trying out my first multi-chapter fanfic. Please review and tell me what you think!**

After 5 years Éponine Thénardier is back. It wasn't that she wanted to leave in the first place, but it felt nice to be back. However, she wasn't coming back as Éponine Thénardier, but as Éponine Faulkner, the adopted daughter of Helen Faulkner.

At the end of Éponine's first year of junior high, she was forced to leave Manhattan with her parents and siblings to flee to San Francisco. The police in Manhattan were cracking down criminal activity, and Mr and Mrs Thénardier wanted to leave before they were caught. Although they had fled the police in Manhattan, within a year they were caught by the police in San Francisco. Éponine and all her siblings were thrown into the foster system and separated to different families.

After spending a year circling the system, Éponine's youngest brothers, Peter and Jack, were adopted into a small but caring family. Although it was sad to let them go, she knew that they would be guaranteed a much better life with loving parents, rather than with her. The next year, Éponine and her other two siblings, Gavroché and Azélma, were also adopted into a slightly larger family. Helen Faulkner had 2 children, Ruth and Seth, and they welcomed the three siblings into their family with open arms.

For the next 2 years, Éponine and Azélma attended Lowell High School with Ruth, and Gavroché finished elementary school at Lakeshore Alternative Elementary School with Seth. They made a lot of friends in San Francisco and Éponine and Ruth applied to many colleges, some around San Francisco, and others all around America. What they couldn't have anticipated was a string of coincidences which ultimately led to _her_ meeting _him_.

It all started the morning of the first day of summer vacation. Envelopes arrived in the mail, 2 envelopes to be precise, and both had the Columbia University stamp on them. Mrs Faulkner handed one envelope to Éponine, and one to Ruth. The whole family was seated around the dining table, eagerly anticipating the news that was contained within the confines of the smooth, white paper.

"Who wants to open theirs first?" asked Mrs Faulkner.

Beforehand, Éponine had one a game of 'scissors, paper, rock' against Ruth, and insisted that she wanted to open hers after Ruth. Thus, Ruth put her hand up and commandeered silence at the table.

As Ruth slowly peeled back the sticky paper, all 6 pairs of eyes were glued to the envelope. Ruth pulled the pieces of paper out of the envelope, throwing it aside, and stood up reading:

"Dear Ruth, we thank you for your application to Columbia University. It is our great pleasure to congratulate you on winning a 50% scholarship into the establishment."

Squeals were audible all around the table as everyone jumped up to congratulate her. Only 2 people in the country were awarded this scholarship, along with 1 person who receives a full scholarship to Columbia University. Ruth had tears in her eyes as she thanked everyone. Both Éponine and Ruth had their hearts set on that particular university. For Ruth, it was the fantastic medical course there, and for Éponine, it was a way to get back to Manhattan and meet her old friends.

As the family settled down, Éponine repeated Ruth's actions, peeling the envelope open, retrieving the papers inside, and standing up to read her letter:

"Dear Éponine, we thank you for your application to Columbia University. It is our great pleasure to congratulate you on winning the Community Scholars full scholarship."

Instantaneously, everyone was jumping about, hugging Éponine. The two girls smiled at each other, the months of studying have paid off.

* * *

The next few weeks were quite uneventful. Éponine and Ruth gathered their school supplies and got ready to head off to Manhattan. Éponine was anticipating the great reunion with her elementary school friends, but deep down, she was quite worried. She had left during summer vacation, leaving only a note to say goodbye to her friends. She knew that they were not one's to hold grudges for long periods of time but, she was slightly scared that their old comradery would not be able to be rectified after 5 years of silence.

 _What do you have to be afraid of, Éponine?_ she silently wondered to herself, _It's not your fault that you had to leave Manhattan. Maybe they won't even remember you…_

Éponine shook her head and kept packing her clothes. Her flight to Manhattan was a week away, and if she wanted to start college off well, she needed to have her head in the game. She looked across to see Ruth packing her things into a bright pink suitcase. What was up with Ruth and pink, she didn't know.

"Hey! You ready to head off to the land of the unknown?" Éponine asked Ruth with a bright smile in her eyes.

"Pfft, you're gonna be there to help me, right? Why should I be scared?" Ruth replied back with a laugh.

They both burst out laughing, unable to stop, and that's how Mrs Faulkner found them when she opened the door to their room.

"Hey girls," she called out, "I have an announcement to make. Zél, Gav and Seth are already waiting on the couch. Care to join us?"

Upon looking at the small frown that was visible on Mrs Faulkner's face, the girls instantly stopped laughing and carried similar worried expressions on their faces.

"Ma, are you alright?" Ruth asked.

"Just come downstairs. It's better if I tell you all at the same time." Mrs Faulkner replied as she turned and made her way downstairs.

The girls shared a look of confusion before shrugging and walking down the stairs. As they approached the couch, they could see that the others had no idea what was happening either. They took a seat on the black, leather couch and turned to face Mrs Faulkner who began to speak.

"Guys, I need to talk to you about an important decision that I have to make. As you know, my job has been very insecure for the past couple of months. My boss has just told me that I either have to transfer over to Manhattan, or lose my job altogether."

There was a deadly silence across the living room. Éponine didn't know what to feel. Of course, it would be great to have her family in Manhattan with her, but that meant that she would never be able to spend her summers here, in San Francisco. It seemed like Ruth was thinking the same thing as she said:

"Ma, you know that we will stick by whatever you choose. It's gonna be hard to leave everyone behind here, but I'm sure we will manage."

All 5 children nodded in agreement. They were all happy to be able to stay together, but knew that they would have to say farewell to all their San Franciscan friends.

"When's the flight?" Azélma asked curiously as she lifted her gaze from Éponine's to Mrs Faulkner's.

"We will be flying off with Éponine and Ruth."

Cheers erupted from all 5 siblings as they smiled at each other.

"Oh, and Éponine, I know you had some friends over in Manhattan, would you and Ruth like to go and meet them on our first day there?"

"Yes, thanks mum that would be great!" Éponine replied with her signature dimpled grin, present on her lips.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Hey guys! I'm back with another update! :D I didn't expect to be done with this chapter so soon, but I just couldn't stop writing until it was done. So here you are! Please R & R to tell me how to improve! Thanks, and happy reading!**

Éponine stepped off the plane with a smile. Seth and Gavroché were skipping along with Ruth in tow. Azélma sighed in contentment as she glanced towards her older sister.

"It's great to be back, isn't it?" Éponine turned her head to the side and took a deep breath in.

"I'll never forget this smell of smoke and haze. It's been so long since we left, that I do feel like it was a whole lifetime ago. Don't you agree, Zél?"

With a nod, Azélma made her way over to Mrs Faulkner who was in deep conversation with Ruth about the start of college and other intricate details. Éponine felt like a bird, wanting to fly away and leave all her responsibilities behind in favour of a free flight in the bright blue skies. Gav seemed to pick up on her peaceful demeanour as he walked silently beside her.

"Do you remember anyone, 'Ponine?" Gav piped up.

"Yeah, my friends were pretty awesome. Let me see, there was Combeferre, Courfeyrac, Bahorel, Bousset, Joly, Marius, Feuilly, Grantaire, Jehan, and of course, Enjolras." Éponine remembered with a nostalgic smile on her face.

"You reckon they'll recognise you?"

"Well, we'll have to see. There _is_ only 1 of me to remember, and I've managed to remember the 10 of them, but I _did_ tell them that I would probably never see them again." Éponine remarked with a sigh.

* * *

Originally, the plan was for Ruth and Éponine to share a small room on the campus. However, since the whole family was moving over, they decided to buy a small apartment unit. It wasn't too small but was comfortable and homely. Azélma, Ruth and Éponine each had individual rooms next to each other, while Gavroché and Seth shared a room. The kitchen contained a rather large refrigerator, a gas stove, a microwave and an oven. Next to it was the dining room where there was a large, round, eight-seater table. The living room was the main area of the unit where all the aisles to the bedrooms and bathrooms opened up. There was a large wide screen TV surrounded by several black couches.

Éponine, Azélma and Gav stared open-mouthed at the completely furnished unit. Mrs Faulkner chuckled upon noticing the look on their faces.

"Get settled in, guys." Mrs Faulkner said as she spread her arms, gesturing to the various aisles.

All 5 children ran into their rooms and started unpacking. There was a great deal of noise emerging from the different rooms as they all hurried to get organised. As soon as they were finished, they would be allowed to explore the city. Mrs Faulkner left it up to the three girls to plan the day and left the 2 boys under their care.

"Have fun!" she called out as they ran out of the apartment in excitement. "Be back by 6!"

* * *

Their first stop was the Columbia University. 'Ponine and Ruth wanted to get acquainted with the campus, while 'Zél wanted to check out any new entrance scholarships that she could apply for. Seth and Gav grumbled with boredom as they trudged along behind the three girls.

"Ruth, why do we have to come here?" Seth whinged.

"Yeah, 'Ponine, we want to go play. I don't know what your definition of fun is, but if this is it, I'm seriously concerned." Gav whined as he dragged his feet.

"Honestly, the two of you need to pay attention. Soon it'll be you guys who will be heading off to college. You know that mum doesn't earn nearly enough to take care of all of us, so you need to try and save money yourselves." Éponine reasoned.

"Yeah, yeah _mum_ …" Gav shot back with a sarcastic smile.

* * *

By the time they had finished looking around, it was nearly lunch time. The boys were getting tired, but the girls wanted to see more of the city. Éponine was the most intrigued as she was the one who could remember most about the city from her childhood. She would compare every building, every street and every shop to what she had known 5 years ago. Azélma, on the other hand, had only glimpses of memory left of Manhattan. The only clear memory she had left was of a café called 'Café Musain'. Everyone was getting hungry as well, so it was no surprise when Éponine led them to the café.

The café was small and cosy with old, wooden furniture. Éponine remembered all the times she would come here with her friends and have hot chocolates in the middle of winter. Maybe it was the clear memory of warm and comfort which evoked Azélma's clear memory of the place.

They all took seats around a table and ordered their lunches. The girls engaged in conversations about the city that they had known and how much it had changed. They were so engrossed in their discussion that they did not hear the twinkle of the bell on top of the door. It was only when Gavroché poked Éponine and pointed towards the door, that she glanced up at the group of students that had just walked in.

There were 9 boys all dressed in casual clothes standing by the entrance. In an instant, Éponine knew who they were.

Combeferre looked as smart as ever. He was always the nerdy schoolboy, and it was no surprise that he had a philosophy textbook in his arms. Éponine had never known a time when 'Ferre wouldn't carry around a notebook of some sort and have a pen behind his ear.

Courfeyrac had his cheeky grin on, as usual, and his eyes glinted with mischief. Gavroché himself was a boy after Courfeyrac's own personality. Éponine gasped as Courf caught her eye with the slightest recognition. Suddenly, his eyes widened with surprise, disappointment, joy, sadness and glee, all at once. He nudged the tall blond man next to blond man turned around to see what Courf was going on about. It didn't take long for him to know. Needless to say, blue eyes met brown.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Hey guys! Sorry that it took me so long to update, I hope this chapter makes up for it. Thank you to everyone who has reviewed! Please, if you want to suggest a change that might make my writing better, don't make it sound rude. If you do not like my style of writing, I urge you to click off the story and not leave hateful comments in the reviews. Anyway, hope you enjoy this chapter!**

 _No... No... No... This is not happening,_ thought Éponine. _He can't be here; I'm not ready for this..._ Enjolras himself looked like he didn't believe his eyes. Éponine, the Éponine who left him _5 years ago_ without as much as a goodbye. The Éponine who broke his wretched heart when she left, and not only that, she also said that she would _NEVER_ return.

Although everyone said that she wasn't to blame, he was insistent that Éponine had abandoned them. After all, she _was_ the daughter of a crook. During the rest of middle school and high school, Enjolras had become closed off, finding his relief in school work and studying. However, to his annoyance, Éponine never left his mind. She was nothing to him now, so why did she still plague his thoughts and memories?

As their eyes interlocked in a wave of emotions, it was almost as if time stopped. The boys looked at Éponine in shock, while Ruth, Gav, Seth and Zélma looked to her in confusion. No one seemed to realise that they were still in a cafe until Mr Myriel, the manager, cleared his throat and ushered the boys to a big table at the other end of the room.

As soon as Éponine snapped out of her trance, the others instantly flooded with questions.

"Ép! Who was that?" Ruth's voice exclaimed, laced with worry.

"'Ponine! Isn't that Enjolras?" Zélma's asked with a concerned look on her face.

"Enjolras? You mean that guy from middle school? 'Ponine, answer us!" Gavroché sounded annoyed and impatient.

"Éponine, Éponine can you hear us?" Seth sounded scared and frightened. Éponine wasn't one to ignore people or cause anyone to worry about her. In fact, she almost always rebuked anyone who pitied her or worried about her.

At this last question, Ép nodded slowly. She just couldn't believe it. What are the chances of meeting _him_ on her first day back in Manhattan? He, of course, recognised her, she could see it in his eyes. The anger, frustration and sadness, all portrayed within a matter of seconds. Although he still looked like the Enjolras she knew, he had a different air about him. The blond curls that once hung messily around his face were now neatly cut and combed back. His eyes looked... not exactly cold and empty, but devoid of any warm emotions. No, he wasn't the cheeky, funny and playful Enjolras that she had left in Manhattan, but almost a shell of the person he used to be.

"Yeah... yeah... I'm fine." Éponine replied, while slowly moving her eyes away from the table of boys.

"Ép! That _was_ Enjolras right?" Azélma asked.

"Yup. " Éponine said, popping the p.

"Who's that?" Ruth and Seth had confusion written all across their faces.

"A close friend from middle school, that's all."

"Actually, " Gav interrupted, "Enjolras was Éponine's closest friend. They went everywhere together. Ép never really had any friends until Enjolras asked her to join his group. Ép, stop understating your friendship with Enj."

"No! He wasn't that important to me!"rebuked Éponine.

Zélma opened her mouth to argue otherwise, but a series of beeps interrupted her. Ép looked at her phone and gasped. They were so distracted with the sudden overflow of memories that they had lost track of time. Ép had organised a get-together with Cosette and Musichetta to introduce Ruth and Seth to her all-time best friends and to catch up with 5 years' worth of news. Ép settled the bill as the others grabbed their stuff and together they raced out of the café, unaware of a pair of blue eyes following them out the door.

* * *

"Enjolras, was that...? You know...? Was that her? Is she back?" Combeferre's sounded like a blur to Enjolras.

"I...think...so? I think it's her, but I thought she had left us all for a better life in who knows where. What would she be doing back here?" Enjolras stood up and starting pacing across the floor. The other boys looked on with concern as they watch Enjolras take 4 steps in one direction before turning on his right heel and doing the same, back in the other direction. His hands were put together in a steeple position under his chin and his head was slightly bowed. The boys vaguely understood Éponine's previous importance in Enjolras' life, but only 'Ferre really knew how much it hurt him when Ép moved away.

Enjolras had met Éponine back in 4th grade. At that time, she was known as 'the shadow'. 'Ferre himself introduced Enjolras to Éponine. He had gotten to know Ép in art class and liked her snarky remarks and quick wit. As they were walking out of class, they bumped into 'Ferre's best friend, Enjolras. Enjolras was a nerdy little boy back then, blond curls bouncing around messily, blue striking eyes daring anyone to challenge his mischievous behaviour… He was the epitome of a model student in class, but a cheeky little boy during breaks.

When 'Ferre introduced them, Enjolras rolled his eyes and dismissed the very idea of being friends with Éponine. Éponine instantly lost her temper and slapped Enjolras across his left cheek. Although it landed Ép in detention and left Enjolras' cheek stained in pink for the next 2 days, Enjolras gained a new respect for the feisty girl and it forged a strong friendship between them, even if they often drove each other to the end of their wits. As soon as Enj brought Ép to sit with his group of friends at lunch break, they instantly warmed up to her and treated her like one of her own. Ever since that day, Enj and Ép had been the closest friends, doing almost everything together. When Éponine left Manhattan, it was almost as if a part of Enjolras had been ripped out of Manhattan with her. Nothing that any of the boys could do could bring the old Enj back. Through these last 5 years, they had learnt to put up with this marble façade of Enjolras'.

 _If Éponine's return could bring back anything, it better be that piece of Enjolras,_ thought 'Ferre as he tuned back into the conversation at the table with a quick glance to Enjolras' hunched figure next to him.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Hey guys! Sorry for not posting sooner. I'm overloaded with exams** **and assessments** **, but starting late April, I'm going to try posting more frequently. Thank you to everyone who has left a review, follow or favourite, it really keeps me going. I also want to thank OMG-fangirl who has been amazing to talk to and such wonderful support. Go check out her amazing writing! Anyway, I hope you all enjoy this chapter! Please leave constructive criticism in the reviews, thank you!**

"Oh my gosh Éponine! It's been way too long!" Musichetta squealed as she let the door bang open against the wall and ran to meet Éponine. She had a wide grin plastered across her face as she squeezed Éponine into a tight hug.

"Muse... let... me... breathe" gasped Éponine. Musichetta released Éponine, who instantly took a deep breath in.

"I'm so sorry, Ép! It's been what...5, 6 years? Goodness Ép, I can't believe you abandoned us for so long. And I presume that you brought your foster siblings?" Muse asked as she gestured towards Ruth and Seth.

"Yup! This is Ruth Faulkner and her brother, Seth. Ruth is attending college with me this year, and Seth is in Gav's class. You remember Gav and Zél, don't you?"

"Of course!" Muse exclaimed as she reached over to shake both Ruth's and Seth's hands.

"Gav! You've grown so much! And is that Zélma?! Oh wow, the last time I saw you, you were in elementary school, and now you're two years away from graduating senior high? Gosh..." Muse rambled as she shook her head in disbelief.

"Where's 'Zette?" Éponine asked, looking around. The familiar blond was nowhere to be seen.

"She's going to get pizza. Sorry I didn't get to ask you guys, but is Hawaiian and Meat Lover's pizza alright? I think she's gonna get 3 of each?"

Gav and Seth looked at each other, smiles spreading on their faces, and started cheering and jumping up and down. The girls shook their heads while heading over to the front door.

"I swear, those boys have an unhealthy addiction to pizza... "Ruth said with a lilting tone in her voice. "They honestly can't bear a week without it. We once implemented a one-month pizza ban. Let's just say, that did not turn out so well."

"You know, back when we were staying here, pizza was such a treat for Gav. Remember when he dropped that small slice and cried his heart out, Muse?" Éponine glanced towards the brown-haired girl.

"You bet! I'll never forget that. It's amazing how much change time has brought. Actually Ép, could I... "Musichetta was interrupted by a loud beep from a white and pink striped car. The boys instantly ran to Cosette to retrieve their beloved pizza.

A short blond girl stepped out of the car. She had a flowery dress on, complete with a set of high heels. Her hair was done up in a simple ponytail with her fringe twisted and pinned to the side of her head.

"Ép? Zél? Gav? Oh my gosh!" Cosette squealed as she ran towards Éponine. She gave her a crushing hug, turned to Azélma and gave her one too. "How have you all been?"

"Great! I've heard that you've started working in the fashion industry? How's that been?" Ép asked in return. She gestured towards Ruth and introduced her to Cosette. "This is Ruth Faulkner, my foster sister, and the boy next to Gav over there, is Seth, Ruth's brother. Oh, by the way, you might want to open your boot up, the boys look like they might try to kill you if they don't get their pizza."

Cosette chuckled as she turned to see the two boys scowling with their arms crossed.

"Gav hasn't changed much, I see. Still that same obsession with pizza." Cosette commented as she clicked a button on her remote. "It's great to meet you, Ruth! I've heard so much about you. Is it true that you'll be studying medicine? Gosh, you must be extremely smart..."

"No, I just study heaps. I hear that your boyfriend, Musichetta, is studying medicine too? Maybe he could help me around campus?" Ruth turned to Musichetta with a smile on her face.

"I'm sure Joly would be happy to take you around. Come on guys, we better start eating the pizza before Seth and Gav get to them all."

* * *

The boys had brought the pizzas in and had ambushed them. Once the girls came in and had taken 4 boxes into the living room, the boys had the whole kitchen to themselves.

"Gav, tell me more about this Enjolras dude. Why was Ép so upset when she saw him?" Seth wanted to know what made Éponine look like a ghost, haunted by old memories.

"They met in grade 4… I don't know the whole story, but after being introduced to Les Amis, the group of boys we saw at the café, Ép became more cheerful and happy, it was amazing. Back then, we didn't have much joy in our lives, so after that day, our lives became much better."

"If all he did was that he made her happier, why do they have such an emotional connection? Why didn't she look as shocked to see any of the other guys as she was to see him?"

"I'm not too sure myself, but apparently, they were expected to be a _thing._ I remember Ép crying the night we left. She didn't think I could hear her because I was just drifting off to sleep, but I could hear her sobbing. Until now, I haven't really made the connection between that night and Enjolras, I thought that she was just going to be homesick in general, but it makes a lot more sense now that I think about it. Zél often made snide remarks about Ép and Enj, but I didn't think too much about it. Well, she might have been right after all."

"Hmm… We absolutely, positively need to get them back together. Ép has done so much for me over the last 2 years, I feel like I owe her something. If getting Enjolras and her back together will make her happy, I'm willing to do it. What do you say, Gav?"

"You bet! Operation Enjonine is underway! It should be as easy as getting them to meet and discuss their feelings, and then they'll be together!"

The boys fist pumped with grins on their faces, before turning back around and stuffing their mouths full of pizza. Little did they know that getting Éponine and Enjolras back together would be a more difficult task than they signed up for.

* * *

"So Ép, you're majoring in visual arts, aren't you? I don't really remember you being a budding artist when you were here." Muse commented with a slight teasing smirk.

"When we moved, I found that it was easier to express myself through pieces of art, whether it be sketches or small portraits, than through words. After mum and dad got arrested, the lady at the foster care system suggested that I take up writing a journal so that I wouldn't feel like I had to carry all my thoughts and feelings around on my shoulders. However, when I wrote, I would drift off and begin doodling. It was then that I realised that I might like art more than I initially thought. I ended up graduating senior high with visual arts being my top subject and eventually I earned the scholarship to study a visual arts course here in Manhattan."

"On that note," Muse interjected, "have you seen Les Amis yet? I think Grantaire is taking the visual arts course at Manhattan Uni too."

"Uhh I may have seen them at Musain and may or may not have run out upon seeing them..." Éponine responded in a sheepish tone.

"Ép!" Cosette exclaimed, "Do you mean to tell me that you saw the boys and you ran away?! Why in the world..." She looked as if she would combust from pure disbelief.

"Are you serious Éponine!?" Musichetta asked as she glanced between Éponine, Azélma and Ruth. "It's not like you have any reason... "

"Guys! We left to cone meet you guys. Ép's phone went off and we realised that if we didn't leave, we would be late to meet you guys." Zélma interrupted.

"Besides, there was tension between Ép and..."

"Ruth!" Ép whispered while nudging Ruth in the ribs. "There was no tension whatsoever. We just had to come here to meet you guys so we left quickly."

"Tension between you and who, Ép?" Muse commented, wiggling her eyebrows. "May I guess Enjolras?"

"I'm done with this conversation, " Ép's tone indicated finality as she stood up from the couch, blushing. "I'll check on the boys." Once Éponine was out of earshot, Cosette turned to the other 3 girls.

"Guys, if I'm not mistaken, they both are still in love with each other. What do you guys say to this?" The 4 girls huddled up in a group, taking advantage of Éponine's absence. Giggles and forced whispers could be heard throughout the living room. 5 minutes later, Ép walked in to see the girls staring expectantly at her.

"What were you guys talking about?" Ép glanced around, suspicious at the sudden cessation of conversation.

"Nothing, nothing at all." Cosette smiled with an overly cheerful tone.

"Surrree..." Éponine said as she decided to drop the subject. "Anyway, what would you guys like to do?"

The girls were glad that Éponine changed the subject. After all, they didn't want to spoil the surprises that were in store for her.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Hello once again guys! I churned this out as fast as I could. Hope you guys like this chapter… I'd like to thank OMG-fangirl once again as well as PJOKCHG for being awesome support! Check out their great work! Thank you to guest Emma for constantly reviewing and giving me a boost in my writing! Enjoy this update!**

Grantaire glanced over to the blond-haired leader of their rather large group of friends. He was staring off into the distance with a slight furrow in his brow and a whirlwind of emotions blatantly visible in his eyes. R had heard many rumours about the marble statue's supposedly lost love. He only moved to Manhattan himself 2 years ago, so he had never gotten to know the girl who had held the man's heart. Of course, many other older members of Les Amis had discussed the mysterious girl from time to time, but Grantaire never got to know more than: 1) She had Enjolras' heart in her grasp before she abandoned him at the end of 8th grade and, 2) As a result of her disappearance, Enjolras caved in on himself, and put in all of his time and energy into his studies, leaving no time to date any of the blond cheerleaders who constantly tried to gain his affections.

There was a notable difference in Les Amis' atmosphere that day. It was almost as if everyone knew that Enjolras needed his space after seeing the girl that he had first fallen for more than 5 years ago, once again. In fact, Grantaire wouldn't be amazed if that was, in fact, the very reason that no-one was bugging Enjolras that evening. Out of all the men, he was the most highly regarded and respected person, and their group of friends knew better than to aggravate him when he was in such a state of mind. However, even though he was aware of the circumstances, R decided to poke Enjolras in the arm and scared him out of his daze.

"R! You frightened me!" Enjolras responded with a scowl.

"Enjy, what's up with that girl you saw just now?" Grantaire asked, noticing the evil glare he received from 'Ferre over Enj's shoulder, but choosing to ignore it. "You've been so out of everything throughout this afternoon, and that's not at all like how you normally are." Joly, hearing the last of R's words, quickly stood up from his seat and started hovering around Enjolras, anxiously checking his temperature from his forehead.

"Are you feeling well Enj? There's an awful flu bug going around, and you may have caught it! You should probably…" Joly rambled on with a worried expression on his face.

"I'm fine" Enj cut him off with a sigh, "I guess I'm just a little surprised, tired and over-whelmed right now. I should probably head back to my flat and get some rest." He stood up and pushed his chair in, all the while sipping the last drops of his chamomile tea. He glanced up when he heard another chair squeak against the floorboards, to see Combeferre standing up as well.

"I might as well accompany you back to our float because I want to get some study done before college starts up next week."

Enjolras was too weary to argue otherwise, so he slowly nodded his head. The pair bid Les Amis goodbye as they walked out of Café Musain.

As they started their 10-minute walk back to their flat, Combeferre noticed his friend's anxious expression and the slight desperation, in his walking demeanour, to get home as quickly as possible. It was with this understanding that he himself sped up his pace in order to accommodate for his flatmate's obviously swirling emotions. The pair walked along in silence as they walked the short 2 blocks from Café Musain to their flat which was conveniently located in the middle of the large Manhattan city. This quietness was only broken as they entered the well-furnished flat and Enjolras crashed onto the couch, burying his face in the many plump cushions.

"Enj… Enjolras… Hey… I'm here if you need to talk." 'Ferre uttered as he gradually crouched down and placed his hand on Enjolras' shoulder. "I know seeing Éponine after 5 years must be hard but you should probably sort out your emotions, which you have buried under years of work, before seeing her again."

Enjolras looked up at his best friend with an expression, not unlike one of a lost child, on his sharp, chiselled features.

"Dang it, 'Ferre. Why did she have to come back? I don't want her here. She ruined my life years ago when she left, but luckily I managed to funnel all of that into my work. What does she even want to achieve by coming back? I swear that she has made it her life-long goal to ruin me!"

"Enj…" 'Ferre started walking away as he noticed that Enjolras was getting riled up, and generally, that did not end well for anyone.

"'Ferre, listen to me." Enjolras grabbed both Combeferre's shoulders and stopped him from turning away. "Éponine hurt me more than anyone has hurt me, mentally or physically, in my life. The way she abandoned me hurt me more than I would care to admit. More than the disappointment of my parents when I failed my science unit in 10th Grade, more than the time I chipped my tooth when playing football. Heck, it even hurt more than the rejection letter I received from Harvard, the college of my dreams."

"Enjolras, please stop before…" 'Ferre said a little louder. He was slightly scared of what Enjolras might do if he wasn't stopped before he managed to inflict a complete mental breakdown on himself. Enjolras, however, did not appreciate Combeferre's interruption.

"'Ferre! You said you would be here if I needed to talk, and now that I'm talking, you're not listening! Éponine Thénardier practically stabbed my soul with a sharp dagger and twisted it around before pulling it out and watching me bleed to death with an evil smirk on her face." Enjolras' face was red with uncontrollable fury. He started kicking the couch and stomping to accentuate his words. "She's the reason that I work myself to death, because work is the only thing I can do to keep the last fragment of my soul alive. Just wait until I get a chance to talk to her…"

"Gabriel Enjolras! Stop for a moment and breathe! Calm down and stop yelling" 'Ferre had had quite enough of Enjolras' rant of anger and frustration. He was sure that the whole street could've heard his scream, but being quiet was not an option when his childhood friend was about to combust into a puff of smoke. "Sheesh, cool down for a moment."

Enjolras' shoulders were heaving with every deep breath of oxygen his lungs needed. Within a minute, his demeanour had softened considerably and he was able to regain his focus. Combeferre went into the kitchen a retrieved 2 mugs of strong, black coffee. They definitely needed it after enduring the last few minutes.

"Enj, I think you better sleep on the matter tonight. It really wouldn't be good for your health if you blew up for the second time tonight." Enjolras looked towards Combeferre and gave him an exhausted half-nod before placing his mug on the coffee table, standing up, and muttering a 'goodnight' under his breath. Just then, the door-bell went off with a loud chime. The two men glanced at each other in surprise as Enjolras made his way to open the door for the mysterious visitor. As he slowly opened the wooden door, he gasped and turned to face 'Ferre. Gradually, 'Ferre's face contorted to look as astonished as his friend's.

"Hello Enjolras, Combeferre." A woman greeted with a nod.


	6. Chapter 6

**A** **/N: Hey guys! I'm so, so, so sorry that it has been literally 8 months since my last update. Life has definitely been hectic and therefore, I haven't really found the time to write. Well, that's enough about me, I wanted to let you guys know that I will be moving my A/Ns down to the end of the chapter for those who aren't interested in reading them (which is totally fine, I understand). OK! Hope you guys enjoy this! :)**

A young, blond woman stood in front of the open door with a slight smile ghosting over her lips. She had expensive jewelry adorning her wrists and wore a pair of clear blue sapphire earrings. On her arm was a black purse with a pearly white clasp which matched her striped dress.

"Priscilla, what are you doing here? The last time we heard from you, you swore that you would rather die than see us again." 'Ferre's surprise subsided first, but was soon overtaken by anger when he remembered how she left his best friend in the ashes.

After Éponine left a gaping hole in Enjolras' life, Les Amis had done their best to help him move on. Towards the end of Senior High, they had finally believed that they had achieved this at last when Enjolras asked a petite blond to prom. Innocent little Priscilla Kitt was ecstatic to be asked out by the most handsome guy on campus, but once prom was over, she realized the full extent of his broken heart. And to be perfectly honest, his broken heart shattered her's.

By their 6th month of dating she broke up with him. His heart was not in the relationship and she often felt like she was his second choice. She had considered breaking up with him earlier on in the relationship, but Les Amis had convinced her to stick around because they were desperate for Enjolras to get over Éponine. She had initially agreed to stay, but as time went by, she began to regret her choice and finally broke things off on a stormy winter night in December.

That night was easily one of the worst nights in her life. She had run out of Enjolras' and 'Ferre's apartment with tears streaming down her face and a broken, shattered heart, something she had never bargained for.

"Hi Enjolras, how have you been?" Priscilla asked with a sad smile.

"Pris-" he replied, "Yeah, I guess I'm fine." Enjolras ran his hand through his hair with an exasperated sigh. Of all nights, why did she have to choose tonight to come? It's bad enough that he had to deal with Éponine being back, but now he has to deal with his ex-girlfriend?

"Oh, I'm sorry, did I catch you guys at a bad time? I know, it's almost 10 o'clock but I assumed you boys would still be up. I mean, don't you guys go to bed at like, midnight?" Priscilla enquired, noticing Enjolras' drawn face and 'Ferre's evidently tired smile. It was strange to see the two roommates turn in so early. Priscilla had her fair share of days begging the boys to take a break from their seemingly unending homework so she knew how hard it was for them to stop and relax for a while, let alone, go to bed at a reasonable hour.

"No, it's fine," 'Ferre replied. An awkward silence soon followed and it was then when he realised the Priscilla was still standing outside, and neither one of hem had invited her in.

"I'm so sorry, would you like to come in and have a coffee or something?" 'Ferre gestured has he pulled the door wide open.

"I don't really have time for a cup right now," Priscilla glanced at her watch, "but if it's fine with you two, I'd like to come in and talk to you for a moment." She replied while simultaneously shooting Enjolras an uncertain smile, and stepping hesitantly into the college students' apartment.

* * *

Monday morning dawned bright and sunny, but Éponine and Ruth could not have felt more nervous. They had orientation at 9am - an hour long tour around the campus, before they headed off to their individual classes. It definitely did not help that they were up until 1 in the morning, double checking, triple checking and quadruple checking all the things they needed for their classes the next day, but as soon as the alarm played its cheerful tune at 6:30am, Ruth jumped out of bed with an uncertain yet wide smile on her face.

Éponine, however, laid in bed for another 10 minutes, totally forgetting that she was no longer in San Francisco, but in Manhattan where she was starting her first day of college. It was only when Ruth sprayed her face with a watery mist from her spray bottle (just like old times) that she woke up to what would be her reality for the next 4 years.

As soon as they were ready and had said goodbye to Mrs Faulkner, 'Zélma, Gav and Seth, Ép and Ruth made their way to Columbia University's campus, taking note of all the convenience stores nearby, just in case they wanted ice-cream in the scorching summer's heat. They also passed the Café Musain, once again.

"Ép! Wanna stop for some coffee? The ones at Café Musain on Saturday were amazing, it'd probably be nice to have another cup."

"Uhhh..." Éponine's eyes shifted from side to side as she bit her bottom lip, "Maybe we shouldn't go... I mean... I think there's another coffee shop down the road, we could grab a cup there? I mean, they taste pretty much the same..."

"Then why can't we get one here?" Ruth asked innocently, but on the inside she was giggling at Ép's obvious attempt to stay away from Enjolras. It was hilarious even.

Éponine knew she was stuck, and through no fault but her own. To say that she didn't want to see Enjolras was to admit that there was something deeper than friendship there (and there definitely wasn't... nah uh, not at all), but to deny it would mean that she would have to go in and risk seeing him again. She glanced down at her watch, scavenging for an excuse to give her foster sister. Her eyes widened upon seeing the time.

"Goodness Ruth, would you look at the time?!" Éponine exclaimed as she practically dragged her towards the university, a couple blocks down the road.

Ruth's eyebrows furrowed in confusion as she let herself be led by Ép, and rightly so. They still had half an hour before orientation started and the walk would only take 10 minutes at most. She voiced this out to Éponine with a questioning glance.

"Oh, well, I want us to get there early so we can, you know, meet some other people perhaps and find out what buildings our classes will be in this semester before everyone arrives." Éponine replied, smiling on the inside at her totally valid explanation for wanting to be early, unaware of the growing smirk on Ruth's face.

* * *

When the girls arrived, they instantly headed to the boards which detailed which buildings held which departments.

"It's just our luck to be stuck on the opposite ends of the campus." Ruth commented with a sigh, turning to face Ép. "I know that medicine and arts are quite the opposite, but must they put those buildings as far away as possible from one another?"

Éponine shrugged, letting out a small sigh of her own. She opened her mouth to reply Ruth when she was cut off by an announcement being made on a megaphone by a very familiar face.

"Welcome freshmen of Columbia University! I am Principal Valjean and I'm honoured to have all of you join our school. I hope you enjoy your morning around the campus before starting classes in the afternoon. You will need to find your allocated pairs which have been sorted by students undertaking the same majors, and make your way to the building dedicated for your major. The lists of pairs are up behind me as well as to my right. Thank you, and enjoy your first day at Columbia University!"

His speech was applauded, followed by an eager scurry of students wanting to find their pair for the morning. As Éponine approached the lists, she promptly found her name and dragged her finger across the page to find her pair. To her surprise, it was a name that had been mentioned at Musichetta's and Cosette's on Saturday night.

R. Grantaire

 **A/N: So sorry once again for the delay of this chapter. I had a writer's block and lost interest in writing for a bit, but hopefully I'll be back with another chapter sooner rather than later. Shoutouts, once again, go to OMG-fangirl** **and her 'Life' series and to PJOKCHG and her story 'La Vie Que Nous Avon's Créée Ensemble'. Go check them out! :)**


	7. Chapter 7

'Just my luck…', thought Éponine as she glanced around the room for her partner. What were the chances that one of Enj's friends would be paired up with her? It's bad enough that she has to put up with the shadows of her past, now that she was back in Manhattan. She shook her head as she thought to herself, 'Come on Ép… You don't even know this guy so what are the chance that he would know who you are?'

A tap on her right shoulder brought her back to reality and she turned around to twinkling brown eyes and a mass of brown curls. The guy bowed down teasingly as he said:

"You're Éponine Thenardier, aren't you? I'm Richard Grantaire, but I usually just go by 'Grantaire'. Pleased to meet your acquaintance _Mademoiselle_ ".

Éponine gave a light laugh at her partner's antics as she too mock curtsied.

"Please to meet you too, _Monsieur_. Excuse my rudeness, but these jeans don't allow for proper curtsying", she teased back in a lilting tone.

"Well, now that we have gotten introductions out of the way, we wait." Grantaire gave an overly exaggerated sigh, along with a slouch, but his grin gave him away.

The pairs were to wait for further instructions, but so far, none of the professors had arrived, as subsequently everyone was getting bored. Éponine looked over at Grantaire who seemed to be watching the clock's second hand tick by.

"Hey, let's play 20 questions until they get here. I mean, we barely know each other, but we're taking the same course and all…"

"Alright! I was waiting for you to suggest playing a game. You don't seem like a girl content to sit there all day looking at her hair and nails and who knows what else? Okay, I'll go first. Hmmm…." He said tapping his chin.

It was then that Éponine realised that she had suggested perhaps the worst game possible. Grantaire was there that day at Café Musain, and surely, he would be curious as to what happened between her and the boys, especially seeing as he probably didn't know that she used to live there…

"Well, the most obvious question would be to ask what you are majoring in, but since I know that, I'll ask the next most important question which has been nagging at me since we met." His eyes sparkled like he was hiding a mysterious secret.

Éponine tensed as she waited for the dreaded question… Surely he wouldn't ask, but what other question could've been 'nagging at him since they met'?

"What is your favourite colour?"

Éponine let out an audible sign of relief as well as a laugh of unbelief.

" _This_ has been the question nagging at you since we met? Legit?" She shook her head at his playfulness as he nodded eagerly with a wide grin on his face. "Well… Blue, of course. It reminds me of the sea and the sky, the lows and the highs, and the beauty in it all"

"Wow…" Grantaire responded, looking impressed at the deep answer to his ridiculously hyped-up question. "Spoken like a true artist. Seriously though, you should meet Jehan, or Jean Prouvaire rather, one of my closest friends. He is a natural poet, he's even taking a poetry writing major, and I swear there's nothing he can't write about and make it sound pretty."

A soft smile crept onto Éponine's face as she remembered sweet, gentle Jehan, and she was not altogether surprised that he had turned out to be a poet. It definitely suited him.

Grantaire, on the other hand, was smiling on the inside at the answer that Éponine gave. After all, it shouldn't surprise him that her favourite colour was the colour of _his_ eyes.

* * *

"Stop it, Enj" Combeferre stood with his arms crossed, slowly getting more and more annoyed at Enj's constant around the room. Although his friend's eyes were bloodshot and evidently sleep deprived, his legs apparently just _couldn't_ stop pacing.

Enjolras barely registered 'Ferre's admonishing tone, briefly glancing to the side while continuing to pace across the carpet in their living room. He looked towards the clock with anxious eyes, trying to keep his mind off what had kept him mostly awake these last couple of nights. 'Dang it R, where are you?' he thought to himself. The 3 of them had decided to meet up before heading to Columbia university together, but unsurprisingly, Grantaire was late.

"Enj!" 'Ferre practically yelled at his friend, thoroughly fed up, not to mention, also a little concerned, at his uncharacteristic behaviour. "What are you panicking about? You're usually more put-together than this! What's on your mind?" 'Ferre walked towards Enj and put a hand on his tense shoulder.

"Nothing…" mumbled Enjolras, resuming his pacing which he had temporarily stopped as a result of 'Ferre's concern, which, to be honest, had come as a bit of a surprise. Not that it should have, of course, his best friend always knew when there was something on his mind. He was, therefore, unfazed when 'Ferre didn't believe his blatant lie.

"Is it about Pricilla?"

Enjolras jerked to face 'Ferre and instantly it was apparent that he hadn't given the tiniest bit of thought to his ex-girlfriend's request.

"I couldn't care less that Pris asked me to tutor her, 'Ferre. She's a nice girl and if she needs help, and I'm able to give it, then sure, why not?" Slowly, Enjolras returned to his pacing. _Six steps forward, pivot on right heel, and repeat_.

"Well, she seemed a little worried at first, considering your history and all…"

"Eh," Enj replied with a shrug, "as I said, couldn't care less. I don't like her in that way, never could, never would." 'Come on R! We need to leave in 10 minutes tops, and we can't be late for registration… Blast it! If he doesn't come soon…' he thought.

"Then I guess it's the girl that you do like 'in that way' that's bothering you?" 'Ferre's words brought Enjolras out of his head-rant with a reminder of why he hadn't been able to sleep well these past few nights.

"Well, for your information, I am getting quite impatient with R's kindness. If we don't make it to college soon, we'll miss registration." Enjolras snapped at his best friend who raised his eyebrows in response. "And, I **DO NOT** like Éponine in that way either!"

Combeferre opened his mouth, undoubtedly about to make a sarcastic quip, when the doorbell rang.

"Finally…" muttered Enjolras under his breath as he quickly gathered his stuff and rushed towards the door, only to be stopped by Combeferre's tap on his shoulder as his hand rested on the doorknob.

"You know, I never said Éponine was the girl you liked 'in that way'. But good to know." 'Ferre quipped with a cheeky grin and a wink before opening the door and starting to the end of the corridor with Grantaire.

Enjolras was left blanching as he realised that what 'Ferre said was indeed true, and that he had assumed that 'Ferre was talking about Ép. He frowned as he walked out of the dorm room and locked the door behind him. 'Dang it, all…' he thought as he took quick strides down the corridor to catch up with his friends.

* * *

The walk to the university wasn't a long one, but it was long enough for Enjolras to send 'Ferre several death glares and for Grantaire to be thoroughly confused as to why Enj seemed so angry at 'Ferre (although he reckoned he knew the reason). Once they arrived to the bustle of Freshmen trying to get to the correct registration line, they themselves got registered before Professor Valjean made his announcement. Enj and 'Ferre quickly said goodbye to R before heading off to find their own lists of pairings. Since the philosophy and law buildings were in a similar area, they agreed to find their partners together. 'Ferre found his name first and was gladly surprised to be paired with Feuilly who was also majoring in Philosophy, but with politics on the side. Enjolras took a while to find his name, but let out a sigh of relief when he found out he was paired with Courfeyrac, one of his closest friends.

The best friends parted ways and went to find their partners with a spring in their steps, even Enjolras, as they realised that college life had officially begun.

* * *

In her opinion, the first day of college went by incredibly quickly, with a lecture after orientation in which her professor, Professor Baptistine, reviewed all the content they were expected to know before undertaking that course. She was quite a sweet and soft-spoken person whom Éponine instantly bonded with, even though their characters were very different.

R (as he had insisted that she call him) was a constant source of amusement and Ép knew that they were going to be great friends. Not once did he mention anything about that day at Café Musain; not once, that is, until they were both heading to the college library to borrow reading material which they would need for their next few lectures.

"Hey Ép, just wondering, did you happen to know some of Les Amis? You know, the group of guys that I was hanging out with that day at Musain? You seemed to recognize them and I'm pretty sure they knew who you were too."

Éponine stopped walking at his words, surprised, though she shouldn't have been, considering that she had been waiting for a question like this all day.

"Uhh… yeah, I guess. I used to live here and was in the same junior high as most of them…" Ép bit her lower lip as she responded. 'Okay good…' she thought to herself, 'Nothing about Enj yet… hang on, there's nothing going on between us, what am I scared of?'

"You come from Manhattan? And you know the boys? No way!" Grantaire smirked on the inside, already knowing this information. "You should come with me this afternoon, we're all meeting at Musain for a coffee. You know, get reacquainted and all that jazz." He grinned at the invitation, knowing that it _would_ indeed be a great way to get 2 certain people reacquainted.

Éponine knew that Enj wouldn't be particularly pleased to see her, so she started to shake her head, replying:

"I don't think…"

"Pretty please, Ép? Pwetty, pwetty pwease with a cherry on top?" R had his hands clasped in front of him, lower lip pouted and puppy dog eyes as he proceeded to beg Ép to come along. She sighed, giving up as she said:

"Goodness R, stop acting like a child…"

"Does that mean you'll come?"

"Okay, okay, I'll come…"

"YES!" the pair resumed their walk to the library once more as Grantaire continued, "Okay, so the coffee has been arranged for 3:30pm, so do you wanna meet up 2 blocks down at Walmarts or something at 3 so we can walk there together?"

"Sure," Ép replied with a shrug, trying not to think about how Enj would take it, considering the anger and confusion she had seen in his eyes a couple of days ago when they met. 'Oh well, I'm back and I guess he'll just have to put up with it" she thought with a determined frown as she walked with R through the entrance of the library.

 **A/N: Hey guysss! Before all else, I'd like to say thank youuuu to everyone who has read this fanfic, it's reached 1,200+ views *whoop whoop*. I didn't have the courage to post my works beforehand but you all on here are so nice :). Oooh btw, if anyone spots the reference in this chapter, comment for a cookie (::)!** **Ok, so I'm back! Not quite as soon as I hoped I would be, but I will try to get the next one up before April, I promise! But, you know what will help me update faster? Reviews and ideas for the first E/E meeting :). So please, R and R and I will try to update as soon as I can :)**

 **~Phantom of Les Mis**


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